During my 20's I got fat and comfortable and, like most people, got desperately addicted to an MMO. I am 5'9" and ballooned up to 360 lbs! I was on 4X shirts and size 50 pants!!!! One day, my wife told me she bought us tickets for my 30th birthday to go to Ireland. This was about 6 months before it happened. I didn't want the humiliation of the Airline person pointing their finger at me and calling me "Fatty McFatterson needs to buy a 2nd seat...everyone look at him, children throw rotten fruit!" etc. etc. So I began running, starting out at about 1 mile 5 days a week.

The first few months weren't so bad (I used to be an avid runner/marathoner in my late teens/early 20's) and once you know how to run, you never forget. You may get slower, but you never forget how to take your mind off the run and go into your zone. I got up to 3 miles in about 3 months. So, there I was at 330 lbs now running 3 miles a day.

I met up with every fat person's worst nightmare while working out...someone that wants to patronize you while you run, thinking they are being nice, but really they make you feel like garbage. This skinny twig of a woman stopped me while running and talked to me like I was 5 years old about the benefits of exercise. Clearly, I'm so fat, that I must not know that exercising is good, and doing nothing all day is bad. I ran into the woman 3 days straight, each day, the same patronizing tone...By day 4 when I saw her, I just turned around and made a new root.

Anyway, by the time we went to Ireland (6 months later), I was up to 4 miles a day, 5 days a week and down to a "trim" 300 lbs! At this point, it became not just about not having to pay for a 2nd seat because of my pornographically large butt, but to get healthy. Over the next year I got down to 200 lbs, where I have stayed for the past 9 months as I run 7 miles a day.

Awesome! Congrats on your loss. I loved your story. I'm a fat runner too. I used to be able to run five miles and I am working back up to it. It's true-once you've been running, you never forget how to go back into the zone where your body does one thing, and your mind is sipping pina coladas on the beach.

What an inspiration!
I have always wanted to get into running, but everytime I try I get put off by the thought that people will point and laugh at the fatty jiggling down the road But you did it, and you put up with being patronised and such, and it paid off for you in a big way! So I should follow your lead and give it a go too!

I had a short-lived running kick in my first year (and by short-lived, I mean for three days) but I found the only time I felt I could run safely was in the small hours of the morning when no one would be around. The first day was okay - I managed to be out for about three quarters of an hour, though I was sure it had been about two hours, got in, no one saw me, showered, drank some water, collapsed into bed with an episode of Supernatural and feeling great.

The second day I locked myself out of my flat at about four in the morning and had to ring the doorbell to be admitted by a grumpy flatmate - who I hope was too tired to notice my tiny shorts, fat thighs, and sweaty armpits.

Of course, I forgot when it came to Friday night that everyone rolls out of the clubs and back to campus during the small hours, so a fourteen-stone fatty in pyjama shorts and an ill-fitting Oasis shirt provided hilarious entertainment for a large group of drunk students. I have never run so fast as I did in trying to escape that humiliation. Got back to my flat, showered, and probably ate a vast sugary snack to get rid of the pain.

And I have not really wanted to run since.

Now, however, I really want to run again. I'm moving back in with my parents in a few days, and I think late night or early morning running will be easier in an area populated mainly by the elderly. Is it okay to start off small? Right now running the length of a street would probably kill me. Do you think I need to invest in a sports bra? (I have an E-cup.)